Colorado Vegan Diner Closes After Operating Without a License for a Year

A vegan diner operating under the radar in Colorado for the past year was recently shut down - but it took more than a lack of licensure to close it down.

Denver's Handy Diner became a go-to spot for "young counterculture customers" to get "cheap and comforting plant-based eats in a non-corporate setting" after it opened just over one year ago, according to Westword. The owner/chef didn't have any permits - just a makeshift sign of mailbox letters and a lease where a Middle Eastern restaurant used to be when she opened the diner.

Business ran just fine until last week when an inspector with the Department of Environmental Health happened to accidentally stumble upon the eatery during a visit to the market next door. The primary violation for Handy Diner was that it had been washing dishes, hands, and food all in the same sink.

Ew.

This is definitely one of those instances where you shake your head and think, you stupid hippies. (At lease that was my initial reaction...and yes, I was definitely generalizing vegans.) But apparently this sort of stuff isn't uncommon - you just see more of it with street vendors.